Via Starwars.com:

Released in 1959, Ben Hur is a cinematic achievement from director William Wyler that took the world by storm. In its day, it pulled in $74 million at the box office. When adjusted for inflation, that makes it the 13th highest grossing film of all time, right behind The Empire Strikes Back, which clocks in at number 12. It also won 11 Academy Awards, a record held by only two other films: Titanic and Return of the King.

It tells the story of Judah Ben Hur, played by Charlton Heston, a Jewish prince betrayed by his Roman friend and sent into slavery. His competing honor and thirst for vengeance elevate him out of slavery and into Roman nobility. Eventually, he’s able to face off against the man who wronged him in a chariot race. The film is framed by the birth and death of Jesus, who teaches Judah humility and the strength to cast aside much of the hate in his heart for those who wronged him.

Watching all three and a half hours of Ben Hur it’s apparent that it had an influence on the Star Wars saga. On a base level, this film used a lot of matte paintings and composite shots of the sort that Star Wars built upon, making the first film possible in the first place. But the film that shares the most with Ben Hur is The Phantom Menace, though Anakin’s journey through the entire era of the old Republic echoes that of Judah Ben Hur

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